The Light Shines On
April 5, 2011

Two hundred people gathered at Public Works in San Francisco's Mission District on the evening of April 5th to recognize Tom DeCaigny for his over eleven years of leadership at Performing Arts Workshop and to welcome Jessica Mele as his successor. Guests enjoyed live jazz music from a trio featuring former Workshop teaching artist Garth Applegate and danced to the vintage R&B and Soul records spun by the DJs from Hard French. Guests also were encouraged to make their voices heard, filling out postcards to their elected representatives in Congress, encouraging them to preserve funding for arts education at the US Department of Education.

Board President Monique Olivier welcomed guests and invited Tom to the stage to speak. Tom emphasized how grateful he was for being given the opportunity to serve, thanking supporters of the organization past and present. Jessica spoke next, focusing on the need for action to preserve vital funds for the arts in our schools and communities. She then invited Artistic Director Gary Draper and Founder and Director Emeritus Gloria Unti to come up and take a bow for their years of dedication and service to give young people the education they need and deserve. A big "thank you" to all of those in attendance, and a special note of gratitude to our event sponsors Cooper White & Cooper, Duckworth Peters Lebowitz Olivier LLP, Linda Belden Handmade Rugs, Olive Grove Consulting, and PodOmatic.

Please visit our Flickr page to view photos from the evening taken by photographer Teresa Kennett.

 

 

---

New York House Party with Charles and Jean Wood
April 15, 2010

On April 15, Workshop staff and friends attended a house party fundraiser at the home of Jean and Charles Wood in New York City. The reception was a great success and gave supporters of the Workshop on the East Coast a chance to help youth learn critical thinking, creative expression and basic learning skills through the arts. The Workshop would like to thank all who joined us at this event.

The photos were taken by guest photographer, Wolfgang Wesener, who was also in attendance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

Tom DeCaigny Speaks on Panel with NEA Chairman, Rocco Landesman
March 17, 2010

In March, Performing Arts Workshop's Executive Director, Tom DeCaigny, spoke at the San Francisco stop on NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman's "Art Works" tour. Chairman Landesman was invited to San Francisco at the behest of the James Irvine Foundation and foundation CEO Jim Canales. This visit was part of a country wide tour to learn how the arts work in communities across the nation. The guiding principles of Chairman Landesman's "Art Works" program, include a particular focus on the role of the arts in education and in creating and sustaining livable, vibrant urban centers

Chairman Landesman has this to say about the San Francisco panel.

"One of the things I was really looking at during my California trip was arts and education, which is a big learning curve for me, though I feel that I’m starting to get the hang of it. The stage I’m in right now is listening to the experts. A lot of people have been doing this for many years, and what I need to do is learn from them out in the field. They all seem to have a great deal of appreciation and respect for what the NEA’s doing in their field. We seem to be up on what’s going on, and I think in arts education we are a significant funder. It was nice just to get out there among the people who are there every day and know what they’re doing.

At the end of the week, I was in San Francisco and then, across the bridge, in Oakland. In San Francisco, one of the things I did was meet with about nine arts educators, from foundations, local arts organizations, the city arts council. Well these are people who have been very committed to arts education for years, and it was very instructive for me to listen to them. One of the current issues is, of course, if the artists who come in to teach in the schools should be professionals, in terms of being trained teaching professionals, or is it enough for them to be working artists. And the consensus seems to be that the teachers, when they’re trained, are a lot more effective, which is something these folks have learned through long experience. We had a great roundtable around that issue."

Read Rocco Landesman's full blog post.
Postcard from California, Part 2

Learn More About "Art Works"
http://www.arts.gov/artworks/?page_id=79

Read the NEA press release on Chairman Rocco Landesman's Visit to California
http://www.arts.gov/news/news10/california-schedule.html

---

Gloria Unti's Retirement Party
November 5, 2009

Gloria Unti, Performing Arts Workshop’s founder, mentor, teacher and visionary, retired from the Board of Directors after more than 45 years of service to our community. The board and staff held a party in her honor and invited friends old and new who have watched the Workshop grow throughout the years. There was a short program including a video created by WAVE (Women, Achievement, Vision, and Excellence) which gave an overview of Gloria’s life and work. The Workshop's Archives were also on view. Attendees included members from the Redwoods in Mill Valley where Gloria teaches movement classes to seniors, students who have become artists and teachers in their own right, past board members and friends. It was a memorable night to celebrate Gloria’s life work.

A collection of photos from the event are posted on the Workshop’s Flickr page.

 

 

 

 

---

Signing party for Board Member Aniefre Essien’s new book,
Capoeira Beyond Brazil
April 8, 2009

About the book:
Brazilians have dominated the Capoeira book market, yet the form has spread across the globe over the last four decades. This expansion from the favellas (slums) to the world stage has introduced a host of new Capoeira practitioners with varied lineages, techniques, and traditions. In Capoeira Beyond Brazil, Aniefre Essien brings an international and political perspective to capoeira, speaking to both the novice and aficionado, as well as to historians, martial artists, social justice organizers, and youth development professionals.

Essien shows capoeira in its complete historical context, providing not only technical instruction but a critical history that highlights the political milestones of the form. Author Essien doesn't shy away from the realities of the capoeira community, directly illustrating principles that should be embraced, as well as established norms in practice and instruction worth questioning. Showcasing Essien's own experiences using Capoeira training with at-risk youth, Capoeira Beyond Brazil articulates the form's empowering aspects with strategies for using martial arts to foster individual self-reliance and confidence, as well as a commitment to community development.

About the Author:
Aniefre Essien has long specialized in youth development work in the under-serviced communities of east Oakland and the greater Bay Area. As a Capoeira teacher, he traveled throughout the United States and Brazil teaching and performing. Aniefre is passionate about the arts and believe that they serve as a vital tool for self-discovery.

---

Workshop Archives Event
October 22, 2008

The Workshop unveiled 43+ years’ worth of organizational archives. This event was the culmination of a four month project headed by our Development & Administrative Assistant, Devon Nandagiri, and interns Natalie and Yelitza. These images of long-ago students and performances had remained locked away since the 1960s. In October, they came to life again in Archival notebooks and projected photographs on display for the Workshop’s community. Hosted at the Workshop’s offices in the Bayview Hunter’s Point neighborhood, a number of previous artists and youth were in attendance. Brian Wiedenmeier, our Development Director, put together a lovely evening for Workshop friends. Visitors traveled through the four decades of history and seven different San Francisco locations (from Telegraph Hill to the Fillmore; from Fort Mason to the Bay View) played on the wall. The Workshop would like to thank everyone who was a part of our evening of living history.

You can view the Workshop’s Archives and other photos from the Workshop here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

The Mighty Fair
May 14, 2008

The Mighty Fair was a grand success. We met our fundraising goal, and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Brooke Gessay and Scott Marlowe from LEVYdance performed an amazing work in progress. The event couldn’t have happened without the hard work of Nick Hutchinson - former Development Director, Linda Belden - Advisory Board Member, Gregory Marks – Board Member, and Devon Nandagiri – Administrative and Development Assistant. A special thank you to Cate Corbitt who provided photography for the event.